


Itsy Bitsy Spider

by LBibliophile



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bingo Fill, Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019, Child Abuse, Child Soldiers, Gen, Kid Natasha Romanov, Natasha Romanov is a Survivor, Red Room (Marvel), Star Spangled Bingo, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, creating the black widows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21713311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LBibliophile/pseuds/LBibliophile
Summary: Itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout...The Red Room is brutal in its training. They push the girls to their limits and beyond, pressing them until they break. Except for one. Where others shatter under his blows, she embraces them, shaping herself like an obsidian blade.For:Star Spangled Bingo 2019 - child abuseBucky Barnes Bingo 2019 - K2: resolveBucky Barnes Flash Bingo 2019 - 1: Natasha Romanoff
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Natasha Romanov
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019, Star Spangled Bingo 2019





	Itsy Bitsy Spider

__

_Itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout_

She is so young, they all are, barely teenagers. But the Red Room has already spent years training them, shaping them, forging them into their perfect tools. They look like children, but it is an illusion; there is no place for childhood here. Instead they are deadly, skilled, focused; more in common with the knives they wield than the sweetly innocent masks they wear.

_Down came the rain and washed poor bitsy out_

They have been crafted – drilled to perfection and confident in their skill – but they are still raw, untested. That is where he comes in. He is a new challenge, and his task is to break them.

He is to push them to their limits and beyond, pressing them until they shatter. Then the Red Room will pick through the pieces, testing the exposed edges to determine if the shards are to be honed further, or discarded.

He can’t go easy on them; his orders don’t allow it, and they would not accept it if he tried.

_Out came the sunshine and dried up all the rain_

So many of the girls fail, broken – but not her. Every challenge, she rises to meet. Every attack, she analyses, learning even in her pain, refusing to give in. She is graceful and precise, subtle and lethal. She uses him to find her weaknesses, and twists them into strengths.

Where others shatter under his blows – to her body, her mind, her spirit – she embraces them, shaping herself like an obsidian blade.

_And itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again_

The Widows are the best of the best, and she becomes the best of them all. It is not that she is technically perfect – although she is – or that she is dedicated – although she completes her assignments flawlessly and without hesitation.

There is a brightness to her, her spirit as vibrant as her hair, undimmed despite her trials. He can see it, but he doesn’t think any of the others realise it is there. It feels familiar; that determination to stand up and fight, regardless of injuries, regardless of the odds. That need to prove she is stronger than she appears.

He looks at this tiny, perfect weapon he has helped to create – no, not a weapon; a person, a child, a survivor – and understands what it means to feel proud.


End file.
